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Lawrie Wilson is on-course for a pre-season return – and hopes he did enough this season to resume his Wanderers career.
A serious hamstring injury suffered at MK Dons in February meant the defender was left watching the Whites’ promotion run-in from the sidelines.
Wilson is one of 17 players out of contract this summer and the former Charlton Athletic man is optimistic he did enough beforehand to warrant a new deal this summer.
“There are a lot of people in my boat,” he told The Bolton News. “And I’m sure there will be a few players lined-up too.
“I did as much as I could during the season. Unfortunately I got injured but I’ll be fit and ready to go again in pre-season and hopefully there is something there for me.
“I’d be more than happy to keep my future at Bolton because it was a hard first season and this year I’ve enjoyed my football as much as at any other time in my career.
“I feel like I’ve got enough experience now for it to benefit the team so hopefully the lads who have fought this season are rewarded.”
Wilson endured a difficult first season at Bolton under Neil Lennon, making just 13 appearances in the Championship either side of a loan at Peterborough United.
Phil Parkinson’s arrival signalled a fresh start, however, and after starting the season as a right-winger, he nailed down the right back spot for a number of months before his injury.
He reckons watching the Whites edge slowly to automatic promotion from the stands was tougher than getting out on the pitch.
“I feel like I played my part,” he said. “We went on some good runs in the season and it was that consistency which got us over the line in the end.
“When I wasn’t available to play in the last few games, I think it’s actually more nerve-racking than it actually is getting involved with the lads and going out on to the pitch.
“You get in a mental state when you just play and nothing else really matters but when you’re watching, I can’t do anything about it except will them on to win like a fan.
“To have seen the team get over the line like that is a very proud moment in my career. The team has always been up there, so it’s just relief now.”
Throughout the campaign Wanderers have lost a number of players to long-term injuries and Wilson hopes their input is also appreciated by the fans and club.
“It’s a horrible feeling when you are injured and you can’t contribute but I think it’s important we remember players like Mark Davies or Lewis Buxton, who have been a part of this. It’s a collective thing,” he said.
Perhaps the vantage point of the last couple of months has given Wilson a unique perspective on the mood among the supporters, who have been starved of any sort of success for several years.
Wilson believes the celebrations both after the Peterborough game and at the Town Hall last Tuesday night for the civic reception prove how ready the town was to party.
“For the last few years you can see Bolton has had it tough – I don’t mean just team, but the town,” he said.
“Your football club is the heart of a community and to see it relegated twice, come down from the great years they had in the Premier League, is bound to be difficult for people to get used to. Fans pay a lot of hard-earned money to watch their team and, let’s be honest, it hasn’t been great.
“But this year, even though we have come down into League One, we’ve got some wins and got the crowd behind us. Getting that mentality back into stadium, back in the club, was the most important thing we could have done.
“Now we need to take it into next season. That desire to win every week has got to follow us up and then who knows what could happen for us in the Championship?”
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A serious hamstring injury suffered at MK Dons in February meant the defender was left watching the Whites’ promotion run-in from the sidelines.
Wilson is one of 17 players out of contract this summer and the former Charlton Athletic man is optimistic he did enough beforehand to warrant a new deal this summer.
“There are a lot of people in my boat,” he told The Bolton News. “And I’m sure there will be a few players lined-up too.
“I did as much as I could during the season. Unfortunately I got injured but I’ll be fit and ready to go again in pre-season and hopefully there is something there for me.
“I’d be more than happy to keep my future at Bolton because it was a hard first season and this year I’ve enjoyed my football as much as at any other time in my career.
“I feel like I’ve got enough experience now for it to benefit the team so hopefully the lads who have fought this season are rewarded.”
Wilson endured a difficult first season at Bolton under Neil Lennon, making just 13 appearances in the Championship either side of a loan at Peterborough United.
Phil Parkinson’s arrival signalled a fresh start, however, and after starting the season as a right-winger, he nailed down the right back spot for a number of months before his injury.
He reckons watching the Whites edge slowly to automatic promotion from the stands was tougher than getting out on the pitch.
“I feel like I played my part,” he said. “We went on some good runs in the season and it was that consistency which got us over the line in the end.
“When I wasn’t available to play in the last few games, I think it’s actually more nerve-racking than it actually is getting involved with the lads and going out on to the pitch.
“You get in a mental state when you just play and nothing else really matters but when you’re watching, I can’t do anything about it except will them on to win like a fan.
“To have seen the team get over the line like that is a very proud moment in my career. The team has always been up there, so it’s just relief now.”
Throughout the campaign Wanderers have lost a number of players to long-term injuries and Wilson hopes their input is also appreciated by the fans and club.
“It’s a horrible feeling when you are injured and you can’t contribute but I think it’s important we remember players like Mark Davies or Lewis Buxton, who have been a part of this. It’s a collective thing,” he said.
Perhaps the vantage point of the last couple of months has given Wilson a unique perspective on the mood among the supporters, who have been starved of any sort of success for several years.
Wilson believes the celebrations both after the Peterborough game and at the Town Hall last Tuesday night for the civic reception prove how ready the town was to party.
“For the last few years you can see Bolton has had it tough – I don’t mean just team, but the town,” he said.
“Your football club is the heart of a community and to see it relegated twice, come down from the great years they had in the Premier League, is bound to be difficult for people to get used to. Fans pay a lot of hard-earned money to watch their team and, let’s be honest, it hasn’t been great.
“But this year, even though we have come down into League One, we’ve got some wins and got the crowd behind us. Getting that mentality back into stadium, back in the club, was the most important thing we could have done.
“Now we need to take it into next season. That desire to win every week has got to follow us up and then who knows what could happen for us in the Championship?”
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